Tag-addressing machine



June 17, 1930. P. WRIGHT TAG ADDRESSING MAHINE Filed Dec. 5. 1 927 4 Sheets-Sheet l June 17, 1930. P. WRIGHT TAG ADDRESSING MACHINE y Filed neo, 5. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 .166617, 1930. WRIGHT y 1,764,669

TAG ADDHESSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 17, E930.` P. WRIGHT TAG DDRESSING MACHINE Filed neel 5. 192'/ 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 JOHN nof-:co'MPANY [i: ma BRoAnw/w nl smc/50, lm mols Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED. STATES PATENT' OFFICE -rAnvIN WRIGHT, or SEATTLE, WAsIIINCrON, AssIGNoa To THE eEnaAnD COMPANY,

j mC., or' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE TAG-ADDRESSING MACHINE Application am .December 5, 1927. serial No. 231,704.

The present invention relates to tag addressing machine, and is particularly con-`- cerned with that type -of machine in which ertured in such a way as to cooperate with the feeding means of the machine. l

While the fore oing statements are indi'- lative, in a generaway, of the nature of the invention, other objects and advantages will be apparent upon a full understanding ofthe construction, arrangement and operation of the improved machine.

In Order thatthe invention may be readily understood, one form of the same is herein v presented, but it will of course be appreciated 25 hthat the invention is susceptible of embodiment -in other structurally modified forms comin equally within the scope of the appende claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the machine.;

Fig. 2 is a top View, with the cover removed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical line 3-3 of Fig. 1; y

Fig. 4 is another vertical section, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section, corresponding in a general way to the upper portion of Fig. 3, showing the stencil carrier 40 in loading, as distinguished from printing,

position; 1- l Fig. 6 is 'a fragmentary vertical'section, similar to Fig. 5, showing the positions of the several moving parts at the completion of 45 each printing operation;

section, taken on the Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a strip of tags, before being fed into the machine;-

Fig. 8 is a face view of one of the tags after being printed; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view` of a strip of tags which is slightly different from that shown in Fig. 7. l A The machine shown in the drawings is a small hand-operated device which has, as its main-parts, a feeding roll 10, a printing roll 11, an inking roll 12 and a stencil carrier 13. The tags which the machine is adapted to ad- A dress are made ulp in the form of continuous strip 14, in whic strip each tag 15 is joined to the preceding one by two uncut Webs 16 and is provided with six apertures 17 for cooperation with the feeding roll 10 of the machine.

The strip 14 passes'between the feeding roll 10 and the stencil carrier 13, and the printing roll 11, which is inked by the inkin roll. 12, presses a stencil 18 in the carrier rmly against one of the tags in the strip and prints the same,l the stencil carrier and inking roll moving with the feeding roll throughout the printing operation.

Upon completion of the printing operatlon, and while the next tag in the strip 1s being advanced by the feedmg roll into printing position, the stencil carrier, which hasa reciprocating movement, is releasedby the printing roll and returns to lts m1t1al s1- tion, whereupon the printing operation 1s repeated. The strip 14 is fed 1nto the machine through two spaced side guides 19, and leaves the same through two spaced side guides 20.

The feeding roll is secured to a shaft 21 .which is journaled in two side frame members 2 2, and isprovided, near its ends, with pins 23 which engage within the apertures 17 1n the tags. The roll is also provided, near its ends, with pins 24 which are longer and sharper than the pins 23 and serve both as gauges for bringing the apertures 17 in the tags into register with the pins. 23 when the strip o f 9U tags is inserted in the machine and as cutters for separating the tags from each other at the webs 16 during the printing operation. The feeding roll is rotated continuously in one direction by means of va hand crank 25. The hand crank is secured to a shaft 26 which is journaled in the frame members 22, and a pinion 27 is secured to such shaft and meshes with a pinion 28 which in turn meshes with a pinion 29 secured to the shaft 21.

The printing roll is located above the feeding roll, and is secured to a shaft 30 which is journaled in the frame members 22. 'lhe pinion 28, which meshes with the pinions 27 and .29, is also secured to the shaft 30, and causes the printing roll to move with the feeding roll. The printing roll has two convex faces 31 and two concave faces 32. The convex faces transfer the ink from the inking roll to the stencil in the carrier, while the concave faces provide clearance for the stencil carrier and permit the same to return to its initial position after each printing operation.

The stencil carrier rides on the strip of tags between the feeding and printing rolls, and is a rectangular frame which is pivoted at 33 to two arms 34 which are secured to a shaft 35 journaled in the frame members 22. The carrier is reciprocated by a cam 36 which is secured to the shaft 26 and operates intermit tently against a rack 37 which meshes with a pinion 38 secured to the shaft 35 The cam 36 causes the carrier to swing outwardly at the completion of each printing operation, and one of the convex faces on the printing roll engages with the carrier against the inner margin of the same and causes the carrier to swing inwardly at the commencement of each printing operation. A spring 39 is also connected up in such a way with the shaft 35 as to maintain the carrier in its outwardly swung position until engaged and swung 1nvwardly by the printing roll.

The inking roll is located above the printing roll in concentric relation to the shaft 26, and the surface of the inking roll is wiped over by a pad 40 which is positioned in the bottom of an ink reservoir 41. The reservoir` rests upon the inking roll, and is maintained in proper position relative thereto by two arms 42 on the reservoir which are slotted and hook over the shaft 35. The reservoir may be refilled by removing a plug 43 which screws into the top ofthe same. The inking roll is secured to a sleeve 44 which is journaled on the shaft 26, and rotates in the same direction as the shaft but at a different speed. A pinion 45 is secured to the sleeve 44 alongside the pinion 27 on the shaft 26 and is meshed with a pinion 46 which is secured t0 the shaft 30 alongside the pinion 28 which is also secured to that shaft. The difference in speed referred to is obtained by giving the pinion 45 less teeth than the pinion 27 and the pinion 46 more teeth than the pinion 28. As a result of such difference, the convex faces on the printing roll contact each time with different portions of the inking roll and a uniform film of ink is transmitted to the stencil.

When it is desired to change the stencil, a spring abutment 47, which normally limits the extent to which the carrier swings outwardly, is depressed, and the carrier is swung outwardly beyond such abutment and rotated about the ivots 334 into the elevated position shown in ig. 5, in which position the carrier is readily accessible. The carrier con'- sists of a lower rectangular frame 48 and an upper rectangular frame 49. The stencil 18 is positioned between the frames. One edge 50 of the upper frame is inserted within a groove 51 in the lower frame, and an ear 52 on the opposite edge of the upper frame is sprung toward an ear 53 on the lower frame and held in that position by a latch 54 which is movable into a position under the head of a bolt 55 which projects upwardly froml the ear 53. If it is desired to remove the carrier entirely from the machine in changing the stencil, the arms 34 on which the carrier is pivoted may be sprung apart far enough to cause the pivot pins at 33 to disengage from the complementary recesses in the carrier. The machine operates as follows The hand crank 25 is first turned into a position wherein one of the convex faces 31 on the printing roll 11 is in'engagement with the stencil 18 in the carrier 13, after which the strip 14 of tags is fed b hand through the guides 19 far enough to ring the entering edge of the strip up against a pair of the starting pins 24 on the feeding roll 10.

The. hand crank is then rotated, and the stencil carrier, which is moved by the printing roll, clamps the entering ed e of the strip against the feeding roll, and t e pins 23 on the feeding roll enter the apertures 17 in the tags. As soon as one of the convex faces on the printing roll moves out of engagement with the stencil, the stencil carrier is moved back by the cam 36 in a direction op osite to that in which the strip and the fee 'ng and printing rolls are moving, and, as soon as the stencil carrier comes to rest, the other curved face on the printing roll comes into engagement with it andmoves it into a position wherein it is clamped against the first tag in the strip between the feeding and printing rolls, at which time the printing operation occurs, the feeding roll, ta stencil carrier and printing roll moving a ong together as a unit in tightly clamped association. Upon lcompletion of the printing operation, the stencil carrier is moved back again by the cam 36 and the printing operation is repeated on each of the succeeding tags.

The tags in the strip, instead of bein connected together only by the two side we s 16,

as shown in Fig. 7, ma ,be also connected together by a central we 5 6, as shown in Fig. 9. The central webs will prevent the central portions of the tags from bulging upwardly and interferin with the movement of the stencil carrier 1f the tags are thin and consequently inclined to bulge, and will hold the tags loosely together after they leave the machine, which, under some circumstances, ,is quite desirable. Furthermore, the tags, instead of having six apertures, may have a greater or less number of apertures, depending upon the number of ins needed for cooperation therewith in t e feeding mechanism. of the machine.

I claim:

1. In a tag addressing machine, the combination with means for rinting an address on a tag, of means for ceding the tag in proper register with the printing means, consisting of a movable member having projections which are adapted to extend through apertures in the tag and move the latter while the address is being printed thereon.

2. In a tag addressing machine, the combination with means for printing an address on a tag, of means for feeding a strip of connected tags with the tags positioned in proper register with the printing means, consisting of a roll having pins which are adapted to extend through apertures in the tags and move the latter While the address is being printed thereon. l

3. In a tag addressing machine, the combination with means for printing an address on a tag, of means for feeding a strip of connected tags, consisting of a roll having pins which are adapted toextend through apertures in the tagsl and other pins which are adapted to engage with the front edge of the strip and position the same with the apertures in proper register with the first mentioned pins. l

4. In a tag addressing machine, the combination with means for printing an address on 'a tag, of means for feeding a strip of connected tags, consisting of a roll having pins which are adapted to cut intol the strip and separate the tags during the printing operation'.

5. In a tag addressing machine, the combination with a moving platen, of an impression member which moves with the platen during each printing operation and moves in the opposite direction aftereach printing operation, and means carried by the platen for causing the tag being printed to move therewith.l

6. In a tag addressing machine, the combination with a feeding roll, of a printing roll, means for rotating said rolls against each other, a stencil carrier supported by the feeding roll during the printlng operation, and means for reciprocating said carrier first in one direction between the rolls and then in the opposite direction.

7. In a tag addressing machine, the combione direction between the rolls and then inthe opposite direction, said printing roll being recessed to permit the carrier to move'in the direction last mentioned.

8. In a tag addressing machine, a stencil carrier which moves in a certain path during the operation of the machine, and means for permitting the carrier to be moved out of such path into an easily accessible loading position.

9. In a tag addressing machine, a stencil carrier which moves in a certain path during the operation kof themachine, and means for permitting the carrier to be moved out of such path into an easily accessible loading position without disconnecting the carrier.

10. In a machine for addressing a series of connected tags, the combination with a relatively large feeding roll having a continuous cylindrical surface, of a relatively small printing roll having two diametrioally opposed recesses in its otherwise cylindriccal surface, means for causing the rolls to move in engagement with each other, and a stencil carrier movable between and along with the rolls durin each printing operation and movable in t e opposite direction through one of the recesses in the printing roll after each printing operation.

11. In a tag addressing machine, in combination, a movable ,tag-feeding member having projections which are ada ted to extend through apertures in the tag ing fed, and means in opposition to'the feeding member for printing an address on the tag while the latter is held in register by the projections on the feeding member.

12. In a tag addressin machine, in combination, means for printlng an address on a tag, and means for feeding a strip of connected tags during the printing operation consisting of a roll in opposition to the printing means having pins which are adaptedto extend through apertures in the tags.

13. In a tag addressing machine, the combination with a movable stencil carrier, of an inking member and a bacln'ng member between which the carrier and a tag are adapted to move to effect the printing operation, and a swinging arm to which the carrier is attached.

14. In a tag addressing machine, the combination with a movable stencil carrier, of an l which one end of the carrier-is pivotally attached.

'15. In a tag addressing machine, the combination with a movable stencil carrier, of an inking member and a backing member` between which the carrier and a tag are adapted to move to eect the printing operation, a swinging arm to which the carrier is attached, and a spring for swinging the arm to return the carrier t0 starting position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

PARVIN WRIGHT. 

